The Best of Kenya

The Sarova Stanley Hotel
Situated in the centre of Nairobi and dating back to 1902, the Savora Stanley Hotel has a long history as Kenya’s oldest hotel. Once a meeting spot where travellers, including Ernest Hemingway, gathered for a drink before or after a safari, the 220-room hotel has in recent years been refurbished to a high standard, though it still retains much of its original charm. Now a modern 5-star hotel, the Stanley offers well-furnished rooms and excellent facilities, including an impressive 5th floor swimming pool with view, multiple restaurants, a gym and spa.  

The remainder of the day is free. Depending on the time of your arrival, you might like to book a tour of Nairobi. This could include a visit to the Daphne Sheldrick elephant orphanage and, if availability allows, Giraffe Manor.

Expect to arrive at Sarova Shaba Game Lodge, where you check in for two nights (full-board basis), in time for lunch.

Sarova Shaba Lodge
Located on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River, in the heart of the Shaba Game Reserve, Sarova Shaba is a large but upmarket lodge with the benefit of an excellent setting. It offers 85 guest chalets set in attractive grounds, and facilities including a swimming pool, spa and choice of dining areas. As well as 4x4 game drives in the Shaba Game Reserve, Sarova Shaba offers a number of other activities, including camel safaris and nightly crocodile feeds.

After lunch, depart on an afternoon game drive in the Shaba Game Reserve, returning to the lodge as the sun sets.

Situated to the north of Mt Kenya, Shaba Reserve shares is borders with the wider Samburu Game Reserve and Buffalo Springs. Together, the three reserves protect an environment quite removed from that of Kenya’s more famous game reserves – the Masai Mara and Amboseli. The climate here is hot and arid, with the harsh, dusty terrain relieved only by the waters of the Ewaso Nyiro River and its natural springs. Yet this is also a particularly scenic region, a mixture of savannah plains, granite inselbergs, bush and scrub, studded with acacia woodland and doum palms, made even more beautiful by the very limited vehicle traffic.

Large numbers of gerenuk reside in the region, along with other species including crocodile, hippo, gazelle, Beisa oryx, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, elephant and vervet monkey. The big cats, too, make an appearance, and can be seen roaming the acacia woodland, ravines and grasslands—though sightings are not nearly as common as they are in the big national parks and the Masai Mara. Birdlife is rich, particularly in the riverine forests.

Expect to arrive at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, your home for the next two nights, in the early afternoon.

Sarova Lion Hill Lodge
Sarova Lion Hill Lodge is set high on a plateau from where it offers dramatic views of Lake Nakuru and the wilderness that surrounds it. Here, flamingos, pelicans and marabou storks gather in their tens or even hundreds of thousands, painting the landscape white, pink and black.

Lion Hill makes the most of its location, with most of its communal areas, as well as many of the 67 en-suite bedrooms, enjoying at least a partial view of the lake. Meals at Lion Hill Lodge are a delight, served either inside the lodge, by the pool, or under a canopy of acacia trees. Other amenities include a heated swimming pool, spa, and a cosy bar area (the Rift Valley Bar) with views to Lake Nakuru.

On arrival, enjoy an outdoors bush lunch (weather-allowing), while taking in the beautiful views of Lake Nakuru and the surrounding wilderness, before heading out on an afternoon game drive, returning to Lion Hill Lodge as the sun sets.

Lake Nakuru lies on the outskirts of the bustling market town of Nakuru. Both black and white rhino are present and protected within this 190 sq km, fully-fenced park, their population close to 100. The Rothschild giraffe is another rarity found within the boundaries of Lake Nakuru NP, alongside other large mammal species including buffalo, leopard, zebra, eland, waterbuck and lion.

Following lunch and a siesta at your camp, take an afternoon game drive in the Masai Mara, returning to camp as the sun sets.

Overnight at Sarova Mara Game Camp on a full-board basis.

Sarova Mara Game Camp
Sarova Mara Game Camp is located inside the eastern section of the Masai Mara, hidden away from sight within a forested valley. The 75 tented rooms are permanent structures with canvas sides, wood panel floors, fixed roofs and glass door entrances. Inside, they are spacious and attractively furnished, with en-suite bathrooms and running hot water supply.

Wooden walkways skirt lily ponds and wild lawns to link the tents with the main dining & bar areas. The main building at Sarova Mara houses the Oloip Bar, with its cosy log fireplace, and a dining area that opens onto an outdoor terrace with impressive views onto the Mara plains. Within the grounds is a generous swimming pool surrounded by sun loungers.

Kenya’s original and greatest safari reserve, the 1,600 sq km Mara is a vast landscape of undulating hills and seemingly endless savannah plains, which sustains some of the most varied wildlife in Africa. The Mara changes character dramatically with the seasons, though there is plentiful game at all times of year. When the grass is high, game-viewing is somewhat restricted, but the landscape is arguably at its most beautiful. As the weather cools and the land dries, game-viewing greatly improves.

Game concentrations are at their highest from around July to the end of October, when the migrating herds filter across the Mara River from the western Serengeti. During this period, you will find the Mara’s vast plains filled as far as the eye can see with wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, eland, topi and hartebeest, as well as permanent herds of elephant, buffalo and giraffe. Naturally, the plains game are followed by great prides of lion, scavenging hyena, lone leopards and pairs of cheetah, amongst other predators. Many animals do not survive these annual trips due to exhaustion or the treacherous river crossings.

From Narok, cross the vast Rift Valley floor whilst keeping an eye out for herds of giraffe and gazelle, before heading up the rift escarpment. You’ll arrive into Kenya’s bustling capital in the early afternoon. Once in the city, you can be dropped off at a city centre hotel if you are continuing your itinerary, or at the airport for your international flight out.